Woman pays off $120,000 credit card debt in 5 years

Francine Bostick, a custodial manager for Kansas University, spent down $120,000 in credit card bills in five years. (wyn Â™¥ lok via Flickr)

LAWRENCE, Kan. — Francine Bostick, a custodial manager for Kansas University, spent down $120,000 in credit card bills in five years, according to Money Talks News.

Since Bostick's mother paid for everything outright, she was never taught about how to use credit.

It took a year for Bostick to admit she had a problem, but after enrolling in credit counseling, she fully committed herself to eliminating her debt.

Bostick and her husband, Jim, cut down on unneeded expenses and picked up second jobs. As a result, they were able to pay monthly payments of $2,496 toward their debt.

Since they were both working so hard, they were too tired to go out of the house, which prevented further debt.

“During those five years, I got used to buying just what we needed,” Francine told Money Talks News, “If something costs over $50, we’d go home and think about it for a few days. Lots of times, we never went back for it.”

Now that her debt is clear Bostick has set to building credit, but is a little worried she’ll start charging irresponsibly again.

“I’ve been using it like a debit card,” Bostick told Money Talks News. “Every time I buy something, I automatically deduct it from my checkbook.”